Thomson Airways postpones biofuel flight until September

Thomson Airways has postponed its planned commercial biofuel flight until September due to "unforeseen fuel delivery delays".

The carrier had been planning to operate a Boeing 757 flight between Birmingham and Palma on 28 July, powered by a 50:50 blend of biofuel derived from used cooking oil and kerosene.

However, a Thomson spokesman said that the alternative fuel - which is being sourced from the USA, via Netherlands-based SkyNRG - has "taken longer than anticipated to deliver".

This has meant the carrier has been "unable to get the paperwork and credentials the CAA needs" in time to conduct tomorrow's planned flight.

The fuel is being shipped over from the USA because of a lack of suitable refineries in Europe, added the spokesman.

Thomson now plans to operate its first commercial biofuel flight on an unspecified date in September, when it aims to launch straight into weekly biofuel-powered revenue flights between Birmingham and Palma.

Thomson Airways has asked us to clarify that, contrary to comments made earlier, the reason for the postponement of its planned commercial biofuel flight between Birmingham and Palma was due to unforeseen delivery delays of the fuel. This meant that it was unable to conduct its stringent testing process in time.